Cucumber Soup

Description:

There’s no reason to only use cucumbers raw—they are wonderful sautéed then pureed with avocado for a silken-textured soup that’s good warm or cold.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Preparation:

1

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 3/4 cups cucumber slices, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

2

Transfer the soup to a blender. Add avocado and parsley; blend on low speed until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup cucumber slices. Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.